*At least that's what Donald Trump said of me when I opposed his resort at Menie

No Clearances

It would be outrageous for families living within and adjacent to the Menie Estate to be forced out of their houses. But the Trump Organisation has talked to Aberdeenshire Council about their using compulsory purchase powers to do just that.

Once I would have dismissed the idea out of hand - compulsory purchase powers have been given to local authorities to use as a last resort in cases where taking a property into public ownership is clearly in the public interest. For Aberdeenshire Council to do this in the interests of a developer would be - to say the least - unusual. Can anyone find a precedent for a council doing such?

So I will be supporting Martin Ford's motion that will be discussed by Aberdeenshire Council on 1st October that says Aberdeenshire will have no part in using compulsory purchase powers in regard to properties on or adjacent to the Menie Estate.

I hope other councillors will see this motion as simply supporting local residents in the normal exercise of their rights as property owners to continue enjoying where they live. But to expect people to negotiate with Trump with the threat of compulsory purchase is unfair. I hope that my councillor colleages will agree we should leave this to the normal processes between developers and landowners. And that the Trump Organisation will also withdraw from asking for such action and show more respect for people who may be neighbours for many years.

About this blog ...

This blog is published by Debra Storr using facilities provided free of charge at www.blogger.com.The main posts are my opinions: comments are the responsibility of the posters of the comments.Occasionally, I invite Guest Blogs : their opinions are, of course, their own.